Generally, polymerization occurs through reacting monomer molecules together in a chemical reaction to form polymer chains. In chemical compounds, polymerization reactions occur via a variety of reaction mechanisms that vary in complexity due to the functional groups present in the reacting compounds and their inherent steric effects.
The reactant monomer composition usually has a first volume prior to the polymerization process and a second, smaller volume after the polymerization. Although not intending to be limited by a particular mechanism, this may result at least in part because a void volume may exist between the individual monomers, and that void volume may be reduced when the monomers become linked together. Similarly, when a reactant composition includes dendrimers, oligomers, and/or polymers that are polymerizable or cross-linkable, the volume of polymerized or cross-linked polymers tends to be smaller than the volume of the reactant composition.
Such a reduction in volume during polymerization and/or cross-linking can impart imperfections into various manufacturing processes due to dimensional instability. Many current manufacturing processes in nanotechnologies, microelectronics, display devices and the like rely on precision, especially with regard to the placement and spacing between parts, with dimensional stability being important. The resultant products can have defects, inadequacies, or be viewed as having bad craftsmanship. Thus, it can be desirable to have a polymerization, curing, or cross-linking reaction that has dimensional stability from the reactant composition to the final product.